The wait is over for hybrid enthusiasts who've wanted a sporty German hybrid compact sedan. VW has been teasing us with a hybrid Jetta for sometime and it unveiled the car at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show back in January. As part of the promotions, VW also set a land speed record at Bonneville with a modified Jetta Hybrid. Now you can finally go to your local VW dealer and order your own to be delivered before the end of this year.

We just had the opportunity to drive a 2013 VW Jetta Hybrid on mountainous roads in New Mexico and came away impressed. Compared to other hybrids, such as the top selling Toyota Prius, the 2013 Jetta Hybrid will appeal to those who enjoy driving. Primarily for two reasons – the Jetta Hybrid uses a DSG transmission instead of a CVT that's found in most other hybrids and it has a spunky turbocharged gasoline engine.

To recap the technical details: The 2013 VW Jetta Hybrid has a version of the new four-cylinder 1.4-liter turbocharged 1.4-liter TSI gasoline engine that also appears in the European version of the seventh-generation Golf. It delivers 150 bhp in the Jetta Hybrid with 184 lbs.-ft. of torque at 5000 rpm. It does not have the cylinder deactivation system found in the Euro engine. The electric motor is combined with the clutch between the engine and the transmission. It delivers 27 hp with 114 lbs.-ft. of torque at 1000 rpm. The combined output when the two motors are working together is 170 bhp at 5000 rpm.

Externally the differences are subtle. The Jetta Hybrid has a small spoiler along the rear edge of the trunk lid, modified front air dam and inlet grilles. Different wheels and other aerodynamic changes lower the drag coefficient.

Inside the only significant difference is really the tachometer, which is replaced with a "Power Meter". It starts at "OFF," followed by a green "regeneration" section (active during braking) before reaching the baseline drive-ready state, which is represented with a "0." This begins a blue section that signifies the most efficient driving style, alternating between electric and gasoline engine power; the half-blue section that follows indicates times when only the gasoline engine provides power while charging the battery. At the dial's "6" position, the blue markings are gone and the vehicle is utilizing the gasoline engine's power without charging the battery. The final step is the boost mode at "10", which shows when the electric motor and gasoline engine are working together to achieve full power. We missed having a tach!

So, what's the Jetta Hybrid like to drive? If you drive carefully from a start the car can be propelled purely by the electric motor up to 1.2 miles in distance and up to 37 mph or 44 mph if you switch to the ECO mode. Of course with only 27 horsepower available forward movement is sluggish. Mash the pedal and the Jetta Hybrid feels just like a regular car. It has a 0-60 mph time of about 8.6 second, according to VW, but it feels sprightlier than that in person. The seven-speed dry-plate DSG transmission provides smooth shifts and there's none of that high-engine-revving-until-you-get-going experience you get with a CVT transmission.

What does come as a surprise is what you feel when you slow down. As soon as you touch the brakes they generate electricity, which is used to recharge the battery pack. Yes, the brakes do "grab" more than in a regular car, but not as aggressively as we've experienced in many other cars with regenerative braking. The bottom line? Simply slow down a little sooner.

The Jetta Hybrid has the same multi-link rear suspension setup found in the sporty Jetta GLI so no complaints in the handling department. Torque steer is non-existent. It rides well, and the steering is precise. It's not as sporty as a GLI or GTI but then it's not really aimed at enthusiasts. So who is this car aimed at?

Volkswagen has been a big proponent of diesel-powered cars and even in the U.S. its diesel models sell well. For example over 25 percent of Jettas sold so far this year are diesels. However the overall market for diesels in the U.S. still remains incredibly low – less than one percent are diesel powered, compared to a five percent penetration for hybrid cars.

In essence VW has had to introduce a hybrid version of its top selling model in order to attract customers who want good fuel economy but don't want a diesel. It only expects to sell 10,000 Jetta Hybrids next year, compared to over 50,000 diesel-powered Jettas.

Overall the performance of the Jetta diesel and the Jetta Hybrid are similar. The EPA has not yet released the official fuel ratings for the Hybrid but VW expects it to be around 45 mpg combined. According to the onboard computer, we averaged 41.1 mpg during 140 miles of spirited driving at altitude, so that would seem to be a fair number. By comparison the Jetta diesel has a combine rating of 34 mpg, but many owners manage to obtain a better average.

The downside to the Hybrid is that it is not available with a manual transmission and the trunk is smaller because of the battery pack (11.3 cu.- ft. compared to 15.5 cu.- ft. in other Jetta models). The downside to the diesel-powered Jetta is that it does not have the soft touch dashboard or multi-link rear suspension.

If your driving involves stop and go city driving the Jetta Hybrid, which starts at $24,995 and goes to $31,180 is probably a better bet. If you do more long distance highway driving the diesel is probably a better choice and its pricing runs from $22,990 to $26,990.